The present invention relates to an apparatus for controlling a load handling device of an industrial vehicle.
Forklift trucks have been widely used as an industrial vehicle that performs load handling operations (loading and unloading of a load) in a warehouse. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2014-108877 discloses an example of such forklift truck. In this type of forklift truck, the forks are lifted and lowered with the lift bracket by the mast assembly provided in the front of a vehicle body. The lifting and lowering of the forks is accomplished by extension and retraction of a hydraulic cylinder that is controlled by a lift lever. The mast assembly is tiltable forward and backward by a tilt cylinder that is controlled by a tilt lever.
Operation of tilting the mast assembly forward and lifting the forks having thereon a load may affect the operational stability of the forklift truck.
In order to prevent such unfavorable operation, it is preferable to warn an operator of the forklift truck beforehand that such tilting and lifting operation of the loaded forklift truck is not a normal operation. The present invention is directed to an apparatus for controlling a load handling device that is configured to warn an operator of a forklift truck that operation of the forklift truck may affect the operational stability of the forklift truck, i.e., the operator is warned of a potentially hazardous situation.